Navy SEALs Facing a Glut of Publicity Since Osama Bin Laden Raid

“We sleep peaceably in our beds at night only because rough men stand ready to violence on our behalf.”

That quote has been applicable since almost the beginning of time; certainly since the formation of nation states. The most well-known example of modern times will celebrate its anniversary this month, five years after assaulters from SEAL Team 6 conducted a daring mission that killed Osama Bin Laden.

It was a moonless night on May 2, 2011 when the squadron of SEALs infiltrated Pakistani air space in two stealth Blackhawks and took out the terrorist with a double tap to the head. What’s unique in this case is that we know those specifics, and even some of the names and faces of the men behind the op.

We know the night was moonless from former SEAL Team 6 operator Matt Bissonnette’s book “No Easy Day,” where he described the mission in detail. We know it was a bullet to the head from his SEAL teammate Rob O’Neil, who revealed on 60 Minutes that he was the one to fire those first deadly shots. We know that the Blackhawks were stealth after one of the choppers used in the raid crashed and our administration had to scramble to recover the top-secret technology. We even know that it was SEAL Team 6 because the president, to that group’s dismay, publicly admitted it, even releasing official White House photographs of President Obama and then-Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in the Situation Room as they spoke with Admiral (SEAL) William McRaven during the mission.

In fact, we know more about Operation Neptune Spear than we probably ever thought we would, and some would argue, should.

Navy SEAL Lt. Forrest Crowell recently had his master thesis, entitled “Navy SEALs Gone Wild: Publicity, Fame and the Loss of the Quiet Professional” publicly dissected on SOFREP.com, a popular website run by former SpecOps forces about the Special Operations community. If it isn’t clear from the title of his paper, the still active duty SEAL is of firm belief that when SEALs reveal the nature of their work, they make the Teams less effective and weaken their brand. They are, after all, supposed to be “the silent professionals.” He went so far as to criticize by name several former SEALs who have recently published books, including Chris Heben. Lt. Crowell’s opinion is not uncommon within the Naval Special Warfare community. In fact, Bissonnette’s former Team 6 commander told him to “delete him” and put up a mock gravestone in effigy in the Team 6 headquarters after the publication of “No Easy Day.”

But wanted or not, in the five years since that raid, the public’s fascination with Navy SEALs has multiplied exponentially. Hundreds of books, films, documentaries, TV shows, and articles have highlighted everything from their missions to their workout routines. There even is a huge market for fictional SEAL romance novels.

There are SEALs who say that that type of coverage is what draws top-level candidates to the elite fighting force. Chris Osman, who served in the Teams from 1997 to 2004 and co-wrote the book “SEALs: The US Navy’s Elite Fighting Force,” explains that “There is not a SEAL serving today or in the last 3 decades that learned about the SEAL Teams by happenstance or word of mouth. Every one of us has read a book, watched movies, recruiting films, documentaries, YouTube videos, or read articles in the local papers about the SEAL Teams. As much as NSW would like to put a cork back in the bottle, it’s far too late for that. We live in the Information Age not the Stone Age.”

Like Mr. Osman, there are plenty of SEALs who think that as long as they are not revealing operational secrets, their work does no harm to the community or nation.

Mr. Heben, the former SEAL, author and public speaker argues, “Who better to tell tales of bravery and valor, than those who have been at the forefront of our nation’s longstanding history of fighting for life, liberty and happiness and the pursuit of all who threaten it?”

Mr. Osman thinks the Naval Special Warfare command has a double standard when passing judgement on those publicizing SEAL exploits.

“NSW is as much to blame as any one individual,” he says. “Since the 1960’s the Navy and the SEAL Teams have authorized films, movies and interviews. When you, as a command, allow Hollywood stars to take tours of the compound, to make workout videos on the BUD/S grinder, to tell men under your command to be on camera for interviews, you inevitably are saying this type of behavior is warranted.”

To be sure, Naval Special Warfare officials have been finicky about what they condone and do not. The 2012 film “Act of Valor” not only used active-duty SEALs, but was promoted by the Navy and filmed with their explicit assistance in what they described as a recruitment tool. They have vetted and approved dozens of books written by their former operators, while black-listing the authors of others. In a 2014 letter to the entire Navy SEAL community, Admiral Brian Losey threatened “judicial consequence” for those who publicize their exploits, saying that the critical tenant of the SEAL ethos is “I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions.”

But Heben says there is often a hypocrisy to that philosophy of silence. “The bonds of the fabled SEAL and SpecOps brotherhood only extend so far as those who are content not to break from the herd and establish a name for themselves in an effort to seek fame and fortune. When the latter happens, the ‘crab concept’ is alive and well, even in these tight-knit and secretive communities.”

It would appear that in some sense, the SEALs are a victim of their own success. With so many high profile, successful missions, they have spent more time in the spotlight than other SpecOps groups. As they say in the Teams, “loved or hated, but never ignored.”

No matter your opinion, the information is out there, and for those interested in learning all about SEALs, Delta Force, Special Forces, Rangers, and other SpecOps groups, all you need is Amazon Prime.

Mr. Symonds is an award-winning journalist and the son of a 33-year Navy veteran. He’s the author of “My Father’s Son,” a novel about the son of a Navy SEAL who struggles to grow up in the shadow of a war hero after his father is killed in Afghanistan.

Mr. Heben is the Amazon #1 Best-selling author of “Undaunted.” He served for 10 years in the SEAL Teams before joining Blackwater as a clandestine operator, conducting missions for the U.S. Government all over the world. He now writes, develops television shows, sings, speaks publicly, and together with his wife, runs the 501c3, non-profit organization “Suiting Warriors.”

Comments

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Jerry Sullivan

I concur RM, entirely! Honor and credibility are requisite if one is to be respected. Well stated !!

R. Magalhaes

Following up on my previous comment, I decided to go a little deeper investigating Heben and there is strong evidence to support a profile different that is conflicting to the one being presented in this SOFREP article.
It seems some have spent a lot of time on Heben's multiple court records.....which show convictions as early as 1994 and not 1997 as I had mentioned. Others seem to place him in two different places at the same time for a period of two years....lastly, he has served time in jail at least twice and not once, as I had mentioned previously.
So I checked the court records myself as most can be seen online.
Here is his 2008 arrest:
http://justice.fultoncountyga.gov/PAJailManager/JailingDetail.aspx?JailingID=383623
Here is more data. Court.docket/conviction numbers are included.
jjmo6371 Sep 4, 2014
His timeline for his Navy career doesn't make sense to me because I worked with Chris at Heartland Home Finance in Middleburg Hts from 1997 till 1999.
GRANDGAL Sep 4, 2014
His lying is habitual. He also lied when he told the State Medical Board that he served "in combat with the SEALs between 1998 and 2006". That is impossible because by 2003 he was back home in the Cleveland area attending college. Divorce Court records reveal he was living in Westlake, OH in 2004. In 2006 he was living in Minerva, OH and working as a Physicians Assistant in Alliance, OH. So he was actually in the Navy less than six years, not the ten years that he loudly and repeatedly claims.
Doesn't anyone perform a background check anymore or at least verify a Form DD214 ?
He again lied when he applied to Medina County for a CCL by completely omitting the 1994 Cuyahoga Count ORC 2925 conviction mentioned in the article above. See Cuyahoga County Court Case CR-94-316703-ZA (crime committed while still on probation for Rocky River Muni Court cases 93CRB2055A and B conviction).
As a result of this omission Medina County never sought the required input from Cuyahoga County prior to granting the CCL. (Cuyahoga County Court and Prosecutor should be furious as this person, a convicted felon, should not be allowed to possess firearms).
And Oh!! There was that Homeland Security arrest which resulted in a 2-week stay in the Fulton County, Georgia Jail - Booking # 0809783. "

R. Magalhaes

Credibility does not come in percentages. While I appreciate, highly value and thank anyone who has fought for this great country, I also believe a man's value is his word. I was saddened and disappointed when I learned that Heben had previous criminal convictions and even served some time in jail (90 days) prior to "pulling a Lochte" on the shooting story, as reported by local police officials. In fairness, he was later found not guilty by a judge. I do wholeheartedly wish Heben the best. We all make mistakes and should not be judged entirely by them. However, a continued series of brushes with the law over an extended time period (first one was reported in 1997) do not usually point to exemplary character and certainly not to credibility that NAVY SEALS are reputed for. Sources: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/06/police-former-seal-lied-about-shooting/15198797/ and http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2014/09/ex-seal_accused_of_lying_about.html